The following is an address that is part of a YouTube video of this year’s Christmas Eve Carol Sing. You can access the video on the Warwick Valley High School YouTube Channel and Channel 21, the Cable Municipal Channel.
Dear Friends, for so many years we have gathered on Christmas Eve to be together, to commune, to sing with glee and to celebrate the coming of Christmas. This past year the pandemic has cast its shadow on our lives and our ability to find the human connection and solace we seek. So, we turn to creativity and with the help of many, we will hopefully capture the magic and continue this time-honored tradition.
We are all a bit tired, exhausted, from continued vigilance and as much as we would like to put this year behind us, it will remain a reminder of our fragility but also our strength. It is sometimes the difficult that gives us pause, that interrupts life, but it’s through this that we have adapted, grown, and have found reserves we did not know we had. I’m reminded of a verse that tells us, “The impossible will take a little while.”
We are amidst angels. They surround us, protect us. They are the nurses and doctors and the men and women who have sacrificed and are dedicated to the health of our community. Our angels are everyday people who perform kind and generous acts – the very things that help us through and help us to see that it will be OK. It will all be OK!
On angels’ wings we are lifted and find the true meaning of life. The meaning we have discovered is revelatory and as we cope or grieve, we must remind ourselves that the extraordinary presence of hope is within each one of us. It is hope that connects us, hope that holds promise and comforts our fear.
So, we sing. It is that that brings us back to other times in our lives and a reminder of this special place and community we love. It stirs the happiness from our soul and speaks of a message from the heart.
My dear Warwick, my dear beloved Valley, we are so blessed. From every home, from every corner, let our voices rise up. The safe harbor is in reach, the days when normalcy will prevail are near. Our faith will not falter and the beauty that surrounds us will strengthen our reason to believe and to love one another.
On behalf of the Village Board of Trustees, I take great pleasure to wish you and your family a very Merry Christmas and a New Year full of good health, discovery, and wonder!
Under normal circumstances, we pass the basket to gift the Warwick Historical Society for their good work throughout the year. To donate, please go to the Warwick Historical Society website www.whsny.org or send a donation to the Warwick Historical Society, A.W. Buckbee Center, P.O. Box 353, 2 Colonial Ave., Warwick, NY 10990.
